Summary of our Yamaha YPT 240 review: If you love your iPad and you have plenty of music stored in your SD card, then you should check out the Yamaha YPT-240. It's got plenty of connectivity options and useful features for less than $150 for the keyboard alone.

​A Short Introduction

They say that the first step to learning how to play the piano is always the hardest and you just have so many hang-ups, doubts, and hesitations which holds you back from fulfilling your dreams. The question is, when are you going to do it?

The Yamaha YPT-240 keyboard piano has everything that you need with its versatile range of sounds and multiple functions. This portable piano keyboard is a fantastic instrument for aspiring musicians who are just starting out due to its offering of both songs and styles bank together with hundreds of instrument voices which allows you to imitate the sounds of strings, brass and percussion.

You know that you are guaranteed a quality product at a reasonable price for the portable piano keyboard itself (standalone) or the bundle which includes the keyboard piano stand, headphones, and power supply.

An Overview of Yamaha YPT-240 Features

61-key touch-sensitive keys

Yamaha Education Suite lesson functions

iPhone, iPad and iPod touch connectivity

Melody suppressor

Master EQ

Ultra-wide stereo

Reverb & chorus

MIDI compatible

385 Instrument Voice

100 Styles and 102 Preset Songs

Built-in metronome

Click here if you would like to read the complete Technical Specifications of the Yamaha YPT-240

Advantages of Yamaha YPT-240

Before we list down the advantages of the YPT-240, check out this short video which showcases how it sounds like:

1) 61 Highly Responsive Keys

The Yamaha YPT-240 keyboard has 61 keys which is ideal so as to not overwhelm a beginner. This keyboard spans 5 octaves, with the ability to reach additional octaves via the keyboard’s interface.

Having five octaves is enough for basic learning and for proper fingering position which is needed to develop the right technique.

2) Yamaha Education Suite

It’s not often that you come across an affordable portable piano keyboard that is ‘dedicated’ when it comes to educating a beginner.

The built-in education suite ensures that any beginner can easily learn how to play a keyboard piano without any hassle - this innovative feature allows you to practice your skill by playing back a selected song (from the song bank) which is continuously adjusting to the tempo of the player's performance.

3) Stay Connected to your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch

Undeniably, any gadget becomes easier when you can connect it to your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch so you can control your keyboard piano from any of these devices with ease.

But first, you have to download the appropriate app from Yamaha so you can connect your device with an optional device which you have to buy separately, i-UX1. It is very handy in controlling parameters like pitch bend and modulation.

Click Here to check the i-UX1 accessory.

4) Ultra-Wide Audio

Yamaha YPT-240 keyboard has the unique Ultra-Wide Stereo technology for a wider stereo image and greater sound. It also has onboard lessons that make learning music easy, especially for easily frustrated beginners, and more importantly, fun!

5) 385 Instrument Voices

The Yamaha YPT 240 keyboard piano has a superb array of sounds to choose from when playing and trying to learn. It offers up to 385 voices onboard the machine, with an extensive variety of instruments to give each track a different feel.

6) 100 Styles and 102 Preset Songs

You can feel like you are playing in a live band with the 100 accompaniment that plays in the background while the 102 built-in songs provides you a lot of entertainment, learning materials, and something to play along with.

7) Master EQ

This is called the best keyboard for beginners because it gives you the ability to enhance the overall sound with different EQ settings on the instrument as well as tailor the overall output for optimal sound in different listening situations.

8) Reverb and chorus

Reverb is a well-known effect that will make your music sound like you are playing in a grand concert hall or as if you are a part of an orchestra (hey, dreaming is free!) while chorus gives the instrument a fuller sound, as if there are layers of voices.

With these, Yamaha YPT-240 makes sure that the sustain effect is always on-point and allows the expressiveness to be conveyed to its fullest extent.

9) Built-in Metronome

This helps you keep the time, rhythm and pace while you learn the keys. The metronome can help with all your off-keys and acts as a helpful guide and virtual teacher, so you know when you’re doing well, and when you need to speed up or slow down to be on rhythm.

10) Melody Suppressor

You can connect your portable piano keyboard with your Apple devices, computer and other music device, using AUX-in port. Then by pressing the Melody Suppressor button, you reduce the level of the lead vocal in a song. You can then play along with a background track without the melody being in the way.

Disadvantages of Yamaha YPT-240

1) Non-weighted keys

While it is touch-sensitive, it is basic enough not to have weighted keys, or the ability of the keyboard to give resistance and bounce back like a real piano. But then, Yamaha YPT-240 keyboard piano is meant for beginners and having weighted keys at first try might just intimidate you or make you think playing music is too hard.

2) Non-lighted Keys

Lighted keys are an excellent form of step-by-step practice for beginners and despite the comprehensiveness of the Yamaha Education Suite Function, it can still be baffling for starter students to follow the instructions without a visual guide.

A Few Yamaha YPT-240 User Reviews

We have summarized a few reviews from other buyers to show you just how good a keyboard the YPT-240 is:

One mom said the keyboard is perfect for her 5 year old daughter who will be taking her first piano lessons soon. They didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a real piano as the child might not be so interested in playing, and so they bought a more affordable keyboard just for practice. She said the keyboard sounds great, the volume controls are just brilliant, and her daughter loves practicing and is having great fun just mixing up the different keyboard sounds.

Another buyer said she was very happy to have purchased the keyboard as it’s really, really good and very portable. She loves the fact that it's very light and can easily carry it anywhere she likes and play anywhere.

One completely satisfied buyer said she was a bit skeptical about buying the YPT-240 but turned out to be very pleased with her purchase. The keyboard may be a bit on the light side but it has a very high quality feel to it. The keyboard voices are excellent and sounds exactly like the particular instrument, except for the Brass voice, which she thought didn’t really sound like real brass. But overall, she’s not disappointed at all and highly recommends the keyboard to anyone wanting to purchase a high quality yet affordable portable keyboard.

A woman who got the keyboard as a birthday present said the keyboard sounds great. In addition, it is very lightweight and fits in small places which is really a bonus for her. Also, she found the wide stereo made the ‘grand piano’ voice sound amazing. She also found the sheet music interpreter on the LCD screen to be really helpful with reading music. She recommends the YPT-240 to a wide variety of people: from musicians who don’t have a lot of space, to those who play music on the streets (because it’s highly portable), and basically anybody who wants to learn how to play keyboard piano.

A complete beginner to keyboards said she is extremely happy with purchasing this 61-key Yamaha keyboard. As a self-confessed newbie, she admits she is very impressed with the sounds produced by this affordable keyboard and is highly entertained by the wide variety of instrument voices, rhythms and songs that come programmed on the keyboard. She recommends the keyboard to anyone who wants to feel more experienced with music than they really are.

A father bought this keyboard for his 2 young kids so they can get started and interested in music. The kids absolutely love playing on the keyboard, they love being able to listen to different sounds without any difficulty at all. He said he himself uses the keyboard for practice and recording and his sustain pedal makes the keyboard sound even better. He did say that he found the non-weighted keys to be a bit of a downside but at the price he bought the keyboard for, he was not complaining. He gave the keyboard 5 out of 5 stars for its features and the fun it provides for his family.

Frequently Asked Questions

1) Does this keyboard have transpose option?

Yes, just press the function button and then press 003. You can then adjust the key (higher or lower) using the + and - buttons.

2) Can this keyboard connect to an external speaker?

Yes, you can. There is a headphone jack at the back which you can use to connect an external speaker or an amplifier.

3) Are you able to use a sustain pedal with this?

Yes, there is a port at the back to plug in a sustain pedal. There are many cheap pedals available online and offline but it would be best to use an FC4 and FC5 for this keyboard according to the manual.

4) What are the power options?

You can use the supplied AC cord and plug it in to a wall socket or you can insert 6 AA batteries.

5) What size is the headphone jack? Is it the regular ¼?

No, it’s not the regular ¼ but the 3.5mm size which is the earphone size normally supplied with your iPhones and other modern smartphones.

6) Are the keys full size?

Yes, the YPT 240 has full size keys like a real piano.

7) Does this have USB and Midi support?

Yes, this keyboard includes full USB and Midi support but the cords are not provided by some retailers.

8) It says you can control this keyboard from your iPhones and iPad. Can you also connect to Android phones?

Should you buy the Yamaha YPT-240?

Yes!

You wouldn’t regret taking the leap with Yamaha YPT-240 since it offers a wide array of functions and undeniable versatility which will greatly help you as you start to learn the rules of playing the keyboard piano and definitely makes it the one of the best 61-key keyboard for beginners. As a bonus, it even comes at such an affordable price!